Emma Phillips
Wuthering Heights
This passage involves a strong conversation between Cathy and Heathcliff,
Cathy is on her deathbed. Heathcliff and herself don’t appear to get on how
We would expect people as in love as them to. The question is therefore asked are they truly in love? I will be exploring the techniques Brontë uses in lexis and in semantic field she has chosen.
We initially gather from Heathcliff how in love with Cathy he is ‘my life!’ showing that Cathy means as much to him as life itself. ‘Heathcliff has knelt on one knee to embrace her’ this is recalled by Nelly and comes across as being romantic on Heathcliffs part. Cathy sets the agenda throughout the passage and although Heathcliff appears to be upset in some parts she doesn’t allow him to be ‘ she seized his hair’ here a violent action shows how delusional and perhaps violent and in control she likes to be. ‘You have killed me – and thriven on it’ this is an accusation made by Cathy and relates back to the issue of semantic field and also relates to Heathcliff being evil and the character of Cathy. ‘Her humour was a mere vane for constantly varying caprices!’ meaning her mood changes like a weather vane which changes to her every fancy. She comes across as being manipulative here and in other parts of the book such as page 87 ’ No I’ll not die – he’d be glad – he does not love me at all he would never miss me!’ here she is referring to Edgar and wants her own way. Heathcliff is referred to as being the devil at many points in the novel ‘Judas! Traitor’ comparing him to Judus who was deceitful to Jesus. ‘Till we are both dead! – I shouldn’t care what you suffered. I care nothing for your sufferings. Why shouldn’t you suffer’ Cathy here repeats the word suffer many times. A word closely linked with hell as in chapter 2 where ‘infernally, infernally’ is used this is also linked to the fires of hell. The repetition emphasises the word to the reader and brings out the extent of her madness ‘Don’t torture me’ another indication of hell and Heathcliff as the devil’ this almost brings us to think of him as harmless and her insanity growing ever more over the top with her accusations.
